Archive for July, 2010

By Kyle Garrett

According to a press release issued by Delta Connection Academy (DCA) on July 27, 2010, the Florida-based flight academy is now a Cirrus Training Center (CTC).

The press release goes on to say “This designation allows DCA to provide training to Cirrus owners that has not been available in other Cirrus Training Center locations. Utilizing the aircraft and an FAA certified Level 6 Flight Training Device DCA can provide training that is not available anywhere else in the world. In addition to traditional CTC programs pilots will now have the opportunity to take advantage of advanced training including parachute deployment, and Caribbean, mountain and Alaskan flying.”

By Kyle Garrett

At a July 22nd presentation at Airline Transport Professionals in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, recruiting officials from American Eagle airlines announced they will begin hiring more new pilots, add 22 new regional jets to their fleet, and that pilots are moving from the commuter airline up to American Airlines more quickly.

According to American Eagle, the airline is the second largest regional carrier in the U.S. with a fleet of over 250 regional jet and turboprop aircraft and employs more than 2,600 pilots. American Eagles’ vice president of flight operations Jim Winkley says “American Eagle anticipates having among the greatest demand for pilot hiring in 2010 and 2011 due to improved fleet utilization, delivery of additional aircraft, and (pilot) attrition.

“American Eagle anticipates strong demand for pilot hiring in the near future. Long-term trends favor continued pilot hiring as well” according to Winkley.

About the author – Kyle Garrett is the founder of AviationSchoolsOnline.com and is a 1500 hour instrument-rated private pilot. He has been in the vocational school and marketing business for more than 20 years.

By Kyle Garrett

Accelerated Airline Training

The road to becoming an airline pilot is long, but you can get there faster with accelerated training. In our latest article, guest blogger Matthew Everett shows you why accelerated airline pilot training just may be what you need to get to that airline job you’ve been dreaming of.

Are you looking to start a flying career? If so, accelerated airline training may be the thing you’ve been looking for. Imagine learning to fly in months rather than years and starting that career you’ve always dreamed of. It’s not impossible, it just takes the right program. Accelerated training programs are just the ticket because they let you get multiple ratings quickly, train and fly like the airlines, and typically offer job placement services… read the full “Three Reasons to Choose Accelerated Airline Pilot Training” article.

By Kyle Garrett

The use of UAVs like this one are expected to grow exponentially

The future looks bright for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry. In anticipation of growing demand, several colleges and universities, including the University of North Dakota, are offering bachelor’s degrees in unmanned aircraft systems. But UAVs face challenges as their numbers increase. Explore those challenges with us in our latest UAS article.

Remotely piloted vehicles and unmanned drones, collectively known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems, have revolutionized the way the military performs certain tasks. Many tasks that are dangerous or simply boring are routinely handled by these devices in today’s military. Now, the FAA is facing mounting pressure from civilian and law enforcement agencies to further expand UAS use into the national airspace system… (read the full Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Likely to Expand article)

Have you considered accelerated flight training as a way to reach your aviation goals faster? We wanted to let you know about a new article we posted that covers the three main benefits of accelerated training. Please give it a read and let us know what you think.

No matter how you look at it, Flight training is a lengthy process. There are many new things to learn and hundreds of flight hours to gain. When it comes down to it, flight training can only be condensed so much before it bumps up against regulations. This presents a bit of a problem to someone looking to start a career in aviation. Training costs money, but it is going to be a while before flying will pay. So what is the best solution? Accelerated training. Accelerated flight training offers some notable benefits including being good for career pilots, quick progression through ratings, and job placement… read the full Accelerated Flight Training – Three Benefits article.

By Kyle Garrett

ATP announces hiring event with American Eagle Airlines

Airline Transport Professionals (ATP), the national flight academy with over twenty U.S. locations, announced Thursday that it will host an exclusive hiring event with American Eagle airlines. According to ATP’s Paul Templeton “American Eagle Airlines is sending their top Pilot Recruiters to ATP’s headquarters in Jacksonville Beach, Florida on Thursday, July 22 to meet exclusively with ATP students and instructors.” ATP is upbeat in their prediction that the hiring event confirms “…that regional airlines will resume hiring in 2010.”

At the event, Richard King, American Eagle’s Manager of Pilot Recruitment is scheduled to make a presentation on the state of hiring in the airline industry, additions to American Eagle’s fleet of Regional Jets, and the “flow- through” of senior American Eagle pilots to American Airlines. An ATP press release noted “These factors have increased the need for American Eagle to hire qualified pilots now and into the foreseeable future.”

By Kyle Garrett

Protect yourself - don't pay too much in advance

According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) website, Wells Fargo Bank recently filed a lawsuit against the owners of the former Langa Air flight training academy in an attempt to recover over $172,000 in deposits paid “up front” by former students. In the article, Ian J. Twombly states “According to the complaint, Langa Air said students who paid for the entire course up front would be guaranteed a job flight instructing at the company after obtaining all the certificates, and the money would be held in dedicated accounts. Allegedly the money was not kept separate.” When Langa Air closed its doors, many flight training students lost their deposits.

Although this story is nothing new in the aviation training industry, incredibly, prospective students continue to pay for huge blocks of training in advance of receiving those services. As a business owner, I can’t help but wonder if these students know that while it may appear to be a good deal to pay in advance that they are actually creating a negative feedback loop that can, and often does, end in the closure of the school and the loss of the deposits.

Here’s the problem: a flight school gets into financial trouble and then says to itself “if only our students would pay us in advance, then we could pay off our bills”. The problem with this logic is that the school got into financial trouble in the first place because of failure to manage expenses verses income properly. If a school is not making money with its current business model, it either must close its doors immediately or change to a profitable business model. However, most schools simply keep doing the same old thing and expecting a different result, and they use student deposits to fund the madness. With nowhere to go but bankrupt, the schools finally close the doors and the money is never seen again. In the worst case scenario, dubious business owners have actually collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in student deposits and then closed the doors and left town.

The bottom line and warning to all prospective aviation students out there is to be cautious about putting money down for training. How long has the school been in business? What is their reputation? Are you hearing rumors the school is not financially stable? Don’t make the mistake of paying “too much” up front.

Most schools offer “block” time that can be purchased in modest quantities. Use your common sense and don’t hand your cash over to just any school.